It's All Up Hill From Here
by Mia02
Summary: So I decided to make a bunch of short little looks into what I like to imagine the life of Keladry would turn out to be. Includes many of your favorite characters from POTS, humor, good feelings, and hopefully frequent updates. Enjoy


**The Royal Nursery**

 **By Mia**

So I decided to make this into a bunch of short little looks into what I like to imagine the life of Keladry would turn out to be. They may not appear in chronological order, some may be short some may be long, some might be humor, others drama. Some might not even include Kel at all, but side characters from the POTS books. My other story 'The Commanders Daughter' ties into this as well. So please continue to enjoy, ignore my deplorable grammar and leave a nice review. (English is not my first language but I try really hard to get everything right)

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Lost in thought, Keladry of Mindalen walked down a highly decorated hallway in the Royal Wing of the castle. She thought about how just years ago she would have been intimidated too walk these halls. Now it seemed like she walked them at least once a day, usually after a round of increasingly numerous meetings, meetings which she still wasn't used to being involved in. After three years as the Knight Commander of the Kings Own it all still seemed new to her. She still looked around for Raoul when people addressed her as Knight Commander. She wasn't used to high ranking people, some more grudgingly than others, asking for her opinion. It still unnerved her that she had a spot on the Kings Council and that her votes helped shape the kingdom. She thought about when she asked Raoul once about what it was like growing up with the King and Alanna, and so many of the important people she looked up to at the time, not realizing that one day she would be one of those people herself.

All she had wanted was to get her shield and go out and help people. She had never imagined her career taking this turn. Although she had to admit to herself that being the Commander of the Kings Own definitely let her help more people then she would have had she been stationed on the boarder or in a fort somewhere. No, this was exactly the kind of work she needed and it pained her at times to admit to Raoul that he had been right.

She reached a door midway down the hall. Three sets of the kings personal guards stood by the doors. She nodded to them and offered a smile when two of them opened the doors wide. When Kel stepped into a giant, brightly lit room she couldn't keep the smile from her face.

Around the room young children were occupied by toys, books, and games, the oldest of the children, Prince Jonathan the II, was quietly playing a yamani children's game with Neals daughter. He noticed her first when she walked in and softly smiled back at her. His mother rocked her new born daughter and chatted with Yuki on the chairs by the large windows. Kel looked around the room and spotted Merric's son, the red hair and freckles a dead giveaway, several of Rould and Shinko's nieces and nephews, and some of the other noble's young children whom the royal children had befriended.

She walked further into the room towards Shinko and Yuki. "Has Dom already been by to pick up Alwyn?" The two woman exchanged glances then looked up at her abashed.

"Well Kel," Shinko began. "A little bit after lunch the kids were getting restless. And Raoul and Alanna just happened to stop by…" Shinko was cut off when the nursery doors burst open. Kel, still facing the two woman saw their eyes widen and light up with humor.

From behind her she heard Alanna curse. "By the Goddess I swear I thought we would get back before she did."

"Jon must be slacking with his meetings in his old age." Raoul commented dryly. "My backside still hurts from sitting in those horrid chairs for hours."

Kel turned to see Raoul and Alanna standing in the doorway, dust and mud from the practice yards and stables clinging to them. Two children, a boy and girl, trailed behind the adults, both equally dirty. Their heads were bent down over what looked to Kel like a sling shot. The boy was a solidly built eight year old who took after his father in all ways but skin tone. His skin was a deep honey color which went perfectly with his dark curls and kind dark brown eyes. Kel was sure Marcus would become a gentle giant just like his father. It seemed like wherever Alwyn was Marcus wasn't far behind sharing in the trouble. Although he was three years older than Alwyn they were staunch best friends, Alwyn's hight and maturity making her seem older than she was. As much as Alwyn worshiped the ground Alanna walked on, Marcus was infatuated with Kel, something which Raoul found hilarious.

Alanna tried to sheepishly shove Alwyn behind her back but Alwyn would have none of it. She slipped from Alanna's grip and she and her companion hurdled towards Kel.

Kel knelt down on the carpet and took both children in her arms hugging them tightly.

"Mama, look." Alwyn held out a newly carved sling shot for her mother to see. "Aunt 'Lana and Uncle Raoul took us out to the stables to see the new horses and then Raoul made us a sling shot and we learned how to use it. Then we searched all over for the best rocks." Marcus opened up his hand to reveal a fist full of round stones about the size of Kels thumb. He eagerly placed them in Kel's hand for her to inspect. Kel looked from the stones to the rueful adults. The room was quiet while everyone waited for Kel's response.

"Well did you four leave any dirt outside?" Kel asked, amused.

"Course we did Mama," Alwyn kissed Kel on the cheek. "We still need something to play with tomorrow." It was times like these that Kel saw only Dom when she looked at her daughter. At least if she takes after me in her fighting arts she will be able to back up that mouth she got from her father Kel thought.

Alanna let out a bark of laughter and sauntered over to the children, she put a hand on Alwyn's shoulder and smiled down at Kel. "I'm sorry Kel, it's just, my own daughter was never into this sort of thing, and yours is. And I figure while I had a chance…" She trailed off, still smiling.

Kel stood up and handed the two children over to a nursemaid to clean up before dinner. Turning to Raoul with her hands on her hips she raised her eyebrow at him. "And your excuse? I'm sure Buri is completely unaware that her son was rolling around in mud all day."

Raoul shrugged his large shoulders. "Marcus and I were just doing some father and son bonding, and you know wherever he is Alwyn's not far off." He slung his arm around Kel's shoulder and pulled her into a half hug. "Besides, I like to think of it as payback for any trouble you gave me during your squire years and the decade of trouble her father gave me before I retired."

Kel sighed and rolled the stones around in her cupped hand. "I guess couldn't imagine two better people for Alwyn to be around."


End file.
